A blog mostly about Rock music, but also travels, tv, cinema, books etc

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

KANSAS: The Prelude Implicit (2016)

Starting this
piece I should mention that I was never a fan of Kansas. I respect them a lot,
I like their music the normal amount, I have some of their albums in my music
collection, but that’s all. So, when I heard about the release of the new album
I didn’t pay much attention.

So, I am not
going to write a detailed review, but I will write some of my thoughts instead.

The Prelude
Implicit is the first album that the band released after 16 years of silence.
Their previous studio work was ‘Somewhere to Elsewhere’ that was released in
2009. I wasn’t sure if that album was a good idea, especially since two of
their most important members were not in the band anymore. (For those who are
not so familiar with Kansas, I should mention that Kerry Livgren and Steve
Walsh, who used to be the basic songwriters are not a part of Kansas anymore). But despite
all that, I decided to give the album a try, and I was really surprised!

The
Prelude Impicit is a very good album and it includes all the classic elements and
the typical sound of Kansas, that the band became famous for, and it is very
pleasant to the ears. But further than the sound, there is one more very important
matter. The singer!Steve Walsh had a very characteristic voice, and it is
always a risk to replace the singer. But in this case, there is no problem at
all. His replacement (Ronnie Platt) has a very similar voice and his overall
performance is excellent!

The album
includes some fine moments, starting with the beautiful With this Heart, which
is the opening song. As for the Progressive Rock fans, they will surely love 'The Voyage of Eight Eighteen', the longest song in the album, which is simply wonderful!

The truth is that, The Prelude Implicit requires a few listenings
in order to fully appreciate it, so give it some time before you make your
final decision.

In general,
the album sounds “fresh” enough, and the band seems to be in a good form.

I definitely
recommend this album, not only to the “hard-core” fans of Kansas, (who already
bought it I guess), but to all those who, like me, respect this great band and
can appreciate a really good album.

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About Me

I was born in Athens Greece, and still live there with my wife and my son..
I was DJ in many rock bars and medium size clubs for many years,
therefore music is a very important part of my life. Im a motorcycles
fan, and enjoy travel a lot with my motorcycle. Lately me & my wife we are hosting an internet radio show, and I'm having a Blog on the side.Well, that's all for now... :)